Invitational Grant to Long-Term Recovery Committees and Groups June 7, 2018 The American Red Cross invites your organization to apply for a grant with the goal of helping to support high-functioning and effective Long-Term Recovery Committees/Groups (LTRC/Gs) addressing Harvey-related needs in the Texas Gulf Coast Region. These funds are available due the generosity of our donors, as part of the Red Cross Harvey Recovery Program seen in our six-month report. Please review the guidelines below as you prepare your organization s grant application. The Red Cross is issuing this invitation to all LTRC/Gs working in tandem with County Judges to address Harvey-related needs in federally declared counties. The priority of this invitational grant making effort is to support established or newly forming LTRC/Gs to build administrative capacity to organize effective and timely delivery of humanitarian disaster recovery services. Support for dedicated staff positions will help LTRC/Gs convene local, regional and national partners and direct collective efforts to benefit Harvey survivors ability to rebuild their homes, obtain assistance with unmet recovery needs, and access a range of needed services. Staff support will also help LTRC/Gs accomplish administrative, fundraising and project management goals, thus building a more robust organization able to respond to Harvey and future disaster-related needs. Thank you for your dedication to helping the people and communities impacted by Hurricane Harvey. We look forward to receiving your submission by June 25 th at 5:00 pm CST. GRANT GUIDELINES Eligibility LTRC/G received an invitation from the Red Cross to apply for funding. LTRC/G is classified as a nonprofit charitable organization under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code or has a written agreement with an established fiscal sponsor classified under section 501(c)(3). LTRC/G has the support and involvement of the County Judge, as evidenced by a letter of support from the Judge. LTRC/G has an established Board consisting of community members and stakeholders that reflect the diversity of the community they are serving and provides a Board listing as part of the proposal submission.
LTRC/G has formally voted on and accepted Guidelines and Bylaws (or Points of Consensus or comparable governing document) including the solidification of the primary system of record for disaster case management that LTRC/G members will use. If funded, the LTRC/G agrees to participate in offered LTRC/G presentations/workshops which will provide technical assistance support to the development of the LTRC/G. The LTRC/G has established committees to address recovery-related needs of affected residents, which may include: Unmet Needs; Disaster Case Management; Volunteer Management; Construction; Communications; Donations; and Spiritual Care. As part of the proposal submission, the LTRC/G will provide: o o A statement of purpose and meeting schedule for each committee; A written description of how the LTRC/G makes use of established resources and reference documents, such as FEMA FIDA reports, Regional Planning Commission reports, and materials available from national organizations with expertise in specified recovery areas. Grant Focus and Parameters The American Red Cross is committing funding to help LTRC/Gs hire dedicated staff to support and build administrative capacity. The expectation is that dedicated staff support will enhance LTRC/Gs ability to organize partners and available resources into a focused community-based effort that will provide direct, humanitarian benefit to Harvey survivors and their ability to recover. Grant funding will be awarded in a manner intended to incentivize LTRC/Gs to improve their ability to engage, organize and guide the collective effort of recovery partners to provide timely assistance to survivors of Hurricane Harvey. Over the course of the grant, LTRC/Gs are expected to demonstrate an enhanced ability to address Harvey survivors financial assistance, case management, housing repair, spiritual care and other resource needs. The Red Cross will award 24 months of funding to successful applicants. Grantees who demonstrate significant improvement in their ability to address survivors needs may be eligible for additional funding, especially those serving heavily-impacted communities that lack funding sources. Grants will support the hiring or retention of one full-time equivalent staff member. Staff hired with grant funds may address such organizational needs as: Executive leadership; Administrative functioning, such as scheduling and leading committee meetings or communicating resource needs/availability to the community; Technical expansion, such as incorporating WebEx/online meeting systems or the identified system of record to be used by the group; or Fundraising support and/or strategic planning to support ongoing operations. It is acceptable for a grant to seek partial funding for more than one position, such as two part-time staff. Each LTRC/G may apply for up to $137,500. The grant will support a full-time employee for 24 months (or two part time employees) at $55,000/year position equaling $110,000. The grant will also support the allowance for position benefits at 25% of the salary, in the amount of $27,500. 2
The availability of other dedicated funding to support staff positions will be taken into account in making grant awards. The grant term is 24 months. Grant Milestones and Long-Term Outcomes Milestones Within 6 months of grant award, increase the timeliness of financial assistance and/or rebuild assistance to Harvey-affected individuals and households o Quarterly reports must include a cumulative report on cases presented to the Case Management and/or Unmet Needs Committee for review and funding. For each case presented: The case number or other unique identifier The date of presentation of the case The date funding was committed and issued to the case, or note that the case was declined or is pending. Within 6 months of grant award, increase the number of participating agencies serving underserved populations. LTRC/Gs will be asked to provide committee meeting attendance sheets. Within 6 months of grant award, increase the timeliness of assigning and resourcing volunteer rebuild groups to complete home repairs for survivors. o Quarterly reports must include a cumulative report on cases presented to the Volunteer Rebuild Committee for assignment. For each case presented: The case number or other unique identifier The date of presentation of the case Indication whether the survivor was residing in the home at the time of case presentation The date a volunteer rebuild group committed to the project, or note that the case was declined or is pending The date the volunteer rebuild effort concluded, with note indicating the survivor s ability to reside in the home. Establish an LTRC/G-specific website or utilize mechanisms such as media and other outreach efforts that promotes visibility in the community, credibility and support for the LTRC/G s future requests for funding from government and non-government agencies Over the grant term, participate in the LTRC/G-specific technical assistance workshops offered by Red Cross and other organizations. In the final two quarters of the grant, LTRC/Gs will be expected to submit a draft transition and sustainability plan that includes the group s process for maintaining operations post-harvey funding. The plan should indicate how the LTRC/G will be reactivated if disaster strikes. This plan may not be needed by the grant end date, but a general framework will be requested to promote thinking toward the LTRC/G s future state. Long-Term Outcomes In addition to supporting assistance to people affected by Hurricane Harvey, we intend for this grant funding to promote long-term outcomes that foster community resiliency, collaboration and 3
position LTRC/Gs to benefit residents and the community in future disaster recovery efforts. The long-term outcomes this grant making effort seeks to promote include: A steady state LTRC/G Board (or leadership group) which remains intact post Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts and are positioned to support the group s reactivation of the group and LTRC/G-specific website when needed. Guidelines and bylaws or points of consensus that are maintained and updated by the LTRC/G Board and can be activated and/or used as the basis for organizing future recovery efforts. LTRC/Gs that are able to maintain an ongoing connection and engagement with other LTRC/Gs within the state, the State VAL and other critical government and non-government partners, to maintain a strong network of support to benefit disaster-affected communities Grant Evaluation The grant proposal should include quarterly goals and the incremental steps they will be taking towards reaching the expected outcomes prior to the closure of the grant (24 months). Grant progress is evaluated on a quarterly basis and funding is based on demonstrated progress towards goals. Online Application Process and Instructions 1. The application process will open on June 8 th, 2018. 2. First, confirm that your organization is eligible by checking that your organization meets the three eligibility requirements seen on pages 1 and 2. 3. If you meet these requirements, and before beginning the application process, gather the required financial documents which you will attach to your online application. This list of documents can be found below (12.) To use the grantee portal, you will need to use Google Chrome or Firefox. Internet Explorer will not allow you to navigate in the system. 4. To begin the application process, create an account by: a. Cutting and pasting this link into your browser: https://gmis.force.com/ b. Click: New User 5. Next, register your organization by entering all information to create your account. a. Complete all required fields labeled with an asterisk * b. Write down your USER NAME (which will be the first part of your email address only. For example, if your email is Mary.Smith@grants.org, your User Name is 4
Mary.Smith. Also, document the password you created on Page 3 of your account set up to access the grantee portal. c. Once complete, click REGISTER 6. You will get an automated email asking you to confirm/validate your email address. Click to confirm. 7. You will get a second email confirming your account set up request was received and to ACTIVATE your account. You will then be directed to login to the grantee portal. 8. If your organization is eligible, your will be directed to login to the grantee portal. Once in, you will see your organization s Grantee Dashboard. 9. Click on the second tab at the top of the page titled, Explore Grant Opportunities and select the grant application; Hurricane Harvey Recovery Grant Application. 10. Complete all required fields labeled with an asterisk * in the grantee application NARRATIVE TAB and click SAVE. 11. You may then proceed to the next tabs in the application which will include a project description and project budget, attach the required documents: i. IRS letter awarding the organization (or the organization s fiscal sponsor) 501 (c)(3) status ii. IRS W-9 form iii. List of board or leadership members iv. Current fiscal year budget v. Copies of the most recent two years of audited financials vi. Copies of the most recent two years of 990s 12. Review your application (all tabs) carefully. You will not be able to make edits or changes after submission. 13. After a complete review, submit your application. 14. If technical issues arise with the submission of the application, email gmis.admin.ltr@redcross.org. 15. The deadline for application packages is June 25 th at 5:00 pm CST. 16. Grants staff will review the application package for completeness and consistency with the established program parameters. All grants recommended for funding will be presented to the Grants Program Committee. 17. Following the committee s review and determination, each applicant organization will receive a notice of approval or declination via email. 18. If approved, the organization will receive a grant agreement for review and signature. 5
The organization will receive an initial installment paid upon execution of the grant agreement. Subsequent installments will be approved upon review and approval of quarterly grant reports. The Red Cross is requesting that grantees submit quarterly reports on progress and outcomes as well as financial expenditures. Reports are required on a quarterly basis according to an established schedule. 6